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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

5 Napkin Burger

One of my brothers loves 5 Napkin Burger. He used to live near the one in Hell's Kitchen and we would go every so often. As the name implies, they specialize in burgers. I'm kind of salivating now thinking of the burger I ate there last night. They have two locations on Manhattan's west side, one in my Astoria Queens neighborhood, as well as one in Boston, Miami, and Atlanta. Fortunately for me, they have gluten free buns.

5 Napkin has 8 different burger varieties, but I'm not sure I've ever strayed from the traditional 5 Napkin Burger (with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and rosmary aioli) or the Bacon-Cheddar Burger (served with the classic lettuce, tomato, and onion). A side of fries is a must. When I ordered the fries this time the server informed me there was a slight chance of cross contamination because they are prepared near a station that deals with wheat. I took my chances and was fine, but I appreciated that he let me know.

They also have other appetizers, entres, and desserts, but who goes to a burger place and gets anything else? My only qualm with this place is that it's pretty expensive for a burger (although they did not charge me extra for the gluten free bun, which was a plus). Because of this, and the fact that I always leave feeling a bit sluggish, it's more of an every 6 months to a year kind of restaurant. But those times I do go, it's always a nice treat.

I know they have gluten free buns at the Hell's Kitchen and Astoria locations because I've been there, but I suggest calling first to check at the other locations. The buns are rice based and pretty good for a gluten free burger bun.